Caught In The Act
by sapphire.octopus
Summary: Troy and Gabriella meet for the first time in theatre class. Will they be able to navigate through insane directors, opinionated best friends, ridiculous social laws and teenage hormones, or will the show come to a screaming halt? A HSM Musical fic. R
1. Chapter 1: Outside Looking In

**Author's Note: **Hey! Ro10tom8os here! This is my first HSM fan fiction, though I have written a few Harry Potter fan fics here and on Portkey. I'm really excited about this story. It's been stewing in my brain for about two weeks, and I finally had time to write it. Bear in mind that I am writing it like a musical, so there will be songs interspersed into the story. While you don't have to read them, I encourage you to listen to them/read them. They include some of my favorite songs, as well as others that I felt fit well with the story. I'm warning you that my updates are going to be sporadic. I just started my senior year of high school, and am in the middle of college applications. I'm hoping that I'll be able to update every two weeks or so, at the least, but I really can't say with my schedule. According to my outline, this story should be about ten chapters long, with each chapter about this length, or a little longer. Anyway, I'm really in need of a Beta; so if any one has the time, let me know in a review. Speaking of which, please read and review! As this is my first HSM fic, I would love to hear what you think! _The song is "Outside Looking In" by Jordan Pruitt._

**Author's Note #2:** To quickly explain the theatre class, at my school, you sign up for the "fall production" or musical, it is given to you as a class. This means that auditions are limited to those who are in the class. I used this system because it worked well with what I had planed. If you have any questions, let me know!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own High School Musical in any way shape or form. Nor do I want to. Except maybe for the money… Anyway, I am actually amazed that I am ever writing this, considering how ridiculous I find HSM to be.

* * *

**Caught In The Act**

_Chapter 1: Outside Looking In_

* * *

**With Gabi:**

Gabriella sighed as she entered through the doors of East High. As much as she loved school, she hated coming back to school after breaks. She smiled as she thought of her holiday. It had been the most relaxing vacation she could ever remember having. She loved sitting in front of a warm fire with her mother, opening presents on Christmas, and just taking a chance to unwind. A smile came to her face as she let herself be washed with peaceful memories of her vacation.

Unfortunately, Gabriella was jolted out of her thoughts as a gang of her peers knocked her forwards. She rolled her eyes as she saw the retreating forms of Chad Danforth, Jason Cross, Zeke Baylor, and Troy Bolton. Of course none of them had noticed her. She smiled sadly as she walked through the halls towards her homeroom. While not many people knew, Gabriella harbored a crush for Troy Bolton. While she knew that she and the school's star basketball player would never get together, she always kept hopes that one day he might notice her.

_**Outside Looking In **_

**(Gabriella)**

_You don't know my name_

_You don't know anything about me_

_I try to play nice _

_I want to be in your game _

_The things that you say _

_You may think I never hear about them _

_But word travels fast _

_I'm telling you to your face _

_I'm standing here behind your back _

_You don't know how it feels _

_To be outside the crowd _

_You don't know what it's like _

_To be left out _

_And you don't know how it feels _

_To be your own best friend on the outside looking in _

_If you could read my mind _

_You might see more of me that meets the eye _

_And you've been all wrong _

_Not who you think I am _

_You've never given me a chance _

_You don't know how it feels _

_To be outside the crowd _

_You don't know what it's like _

_To be left out _

_And you don't know how it feels _

_To be your own best friend on the outside looking in _

_Well, I'm tired of staying at home _

_I'm bored and alone _

_I'm sick of wasting all my time _

_You don't know how it feels _

_To be outside the crowd _

_You don't know what it's like _

_To be left out _

_And you don't know how it feels _

_To be your own best friend on the outside looking in _

_You don't know how it feels _

_To be outside the crowd _

_You don't know what it's like _

_To be left out _

_And you don't know how it feels _

_To be your own best friend on the outside looking in_

Gabriella inwardly groaned as she walked into homeroom only to be embraced by a very excited Taylor McKessie.

"Oh my god! Hi! It so good to see you! How was your break? Have you gotten your schedule yet? Do we have classes together? Did you get anything cool for Christmas? My parents got me a car for Hanukah and good grades! I know I can't believe it either! I also can _not_ believe we didn't see each other at all the break!" said Taylor, very loudly and very quickly.

"Whoa! Taylor, slow down, I can't understand a word your saying! Hold on a minute while I grab my schedule from Mr. Richards," said Gabriella with a laugh. She didn't realize how much she had missed Taylor's excitement during break. With another smile to her best friend, she walked over to her teacher, to grab her schedule.

"Hello Ms. Montez, I hope you enjoyed your break, here's your schedule. Let me know if you have any complications. We need you studying hard for the Decathlon!" said her teacher with a flourish.

Gabriella took her schedule and politely thanked her advisor. "He's a little off sometimes," she thought to herself, "but at least he loves his job."

She walked back over to Taylor, and sat down next to her. After comparing schedules, they found that they had AP Chemistry together again, as well as AP Lit, Honors Precalc., AP US History, and AP Spanish. The only difference was that while Taylor had painting during last period, Gabriella was enrolled in the Musical Theatre class. They looked at the class in shock.

"Well, you can always try and transfer into painting with me," said Taylor.

"No, I think I'll give it a try. It can't be all that bad. Ryan and Kelsi are both doing it, as well as Sharpay. I know you don't exactly get along with them because they are 'drama freaks', but they are really nice people."

"What ever you say. At least it will look good on your college apps."

Gabriella rolled her eyes. "Is that all you think about?"

**With Troy: **

Troy shook his head as he saw Chad knock over a fellow student. Sometimes he just didn't understand Chad. It was like he believed that he was superior because of basketball. And while it was true that as jocks they did rule the school, Troy didn't think it gave them the right to step all over everybody. Troy glanced over and Zeke and Jason, and they shared a silent laugh at Chad's expense. Zeke winked at Troy and pointed to a bag of cookies poking out of his bag. Troy's eye lit up in excitement. He loved Zeke's cookies.

"So how do you think this season is going to go, captain?" asked Chad loudly, bring Troy, Zeke, and Jason back to the present.

"I think we'll do well. The team is working really well together. And those open gym practices during break really helped. Not that you would know, Mr. Hawaii," said Troy, good naturedly.

"Yeah man, Hawaii was awesome. Great surf, hot girls, and room service galore. Heaven. Speaking of room service, did I see some of your mom's chocolate chip cookies sticking out of your bag Zeke?"

"Actually they're–"

"OATMEAL chocolate chip!" cut off Zeke with a glare at Jason. "My _mom _decided to try a new recipe."

"Sweet deal. Lemme try one," said Chad. "You know I'm a great judge."

"Yeah, because you love anything that is remotely edible," muttered Troy under his breath.

The gang continued their walk to homeroom, munching on Zeke–er–Zeke's mother's cookies, and entered just as the bell rang.

"I'll grab everyone's schedules," offered Zeke, who was obviously going over to Mrs. Darbus to talk to Sharpay. Or rather, to stare at her. Troy glanced over at Zeke and nudged Jason, only to find him stealing glances at Kelsi Nielson. Troy laughed under his breath. Seemed that love was in the air.

Deciding that they would never get their schedules at the rate that Zeke was going, Troy walked over to Mrs. Darbus. He politely collected the schedules from a scowling Mrs. Darbus, and handed them to their respectful owners before looking at his own. His academic classes AP French, English, Precal, Biology and AP Gov. While Troy wasn't the smartest person in the world, his father had stressed the importance of academics, and had made sure Troy worked hard academically from a young age. Hence his AP classes. Looking down at his schedule, he was shocked to see that his final period was Musical Theatre. Deciding he didn't want to deal with Chad finding out, Troy excused himself to use the bathroom. This was going to be a very interesting term.

* * *

So Troy and Gabi are going to be in the musical together. I wonder what will happen? Please review


	2. Chapter 2: Start Of Something New

SAVE this document before you start

**Author's Note: **Hey guys! So I didn't get a lot of feedback on the first chapter, so I'm not really sure if people are into this story, but I decided that I would continue writing it. I hate to be one of those people who beg for review, but I really would love to hear from you guys. Should I continue this story? Are people interested in it, or am I wasting my time, you know? Anyway, chapter two, aka the meet cute. I'm very excited. Please note that there is writing written during the song, that is to say, it is embedded into the story, and so it would be beneficial for you to actually read through the lyrics, even though we ALL know this song by now. If you don't, _the song is "Start of Something New" by Drew Seely, written for High School Musical._ By the way, this chapter is dedicated to **kiwifrute135** for being my only reviewer. It meant a lot from me to hear from you!

**Disclaimer: **Not mine. Seriously.

* * *

**Caught In The Act**

_Chapter 2: Start of Something New_

* * *

**With Gabriella:**

Gabriella gathered her things as the bell rang, signaling the end of her AP Spanish class. She looked over at Taylor as she slung her bag of her shoulder, and together they walked out of the classroom.

"¡Gracias por la clase, Señora Gonzáles!" said Gabriella.

"De nada Gabriella, pero, si mi permites, tengo una pregunta. Hablas el español tan buena, y con mucho fluidez. ¿Hablas el español en su casa?"

Gabriella laughed slightly, and responded naturally, "Ahora no, pero cuando niña, siempre hable español con mi padre. Y mi madre algunos veces, pero, después de su muerte, pare hablarlo. O sea, a menos que tenga clase."

Her teacher nodded in understanding. "Entonces, entiendo. Lo siento sobre su padre. Pero, perdóname, clase empezaré en cinco minutos. Entonces, ¡Chaio! Nos vemos al rato."

"Que tenga una buen día!" replied Taylor and Gabriella together.

Taylor looked at Gabriella in shock. "I had no idea you spoke Spanish so well. Since we didn't have Spanish the same period last term, I've never heard you speak it before. Maybe you could help me when we get closer to the test? I'm sure you could help me a lot. I mean I understand Spanish well enough, but I feel like there is this block in my mind, and I can't move from one language to another."

Gabriella grasped Taylor's shoulder gently. "Tay, you're rambling again, but of course I'll help you. Like I said to Mrs. Gonzales, I used to speak it all the time at home. And while now I only speak it in the classroom, a lot of it has stayed with me. Anyway, do you want to stop at the cafeteria on the way to next period, I can walk with you to painting, because its on the way to the theatre. I really want a muffin."

Taylor rolled her eyes. "Ugh, not your weird muffin thing. Lets get a bagel instead."

Gabriella sighed. "Fine."

"Asiago?"

"For sure! It's the only way to go!"

"Toasted, with sun dried tomato cream cheese?"

"Duh."

"Sisters!"

Gabriella turned to Taylor, her smile turned flat.

"Don't. Seriously. Just don't. You sound ridiculous."

There was an awkward silence for a moment, until they both brought their hands up, making the awkward turtle, at which point the two girls burst out laughing. Just as they collected themselves the bell rang. Gabriella and Taylor both sighed and looked at each other, "well there goes the bagel," they said simultaneously, before they ran of to class, both still giggling.

**With Troy:**

Troy sighed in relief as the bell rang, signaling the end of the period. He got up, stuffing his textbooks into his backpack, and then slugging it over his shoulder. He could already tell this term was going to be hell. With the test coming closer and closer, his teacher was stepping up both the pressure and the work. In addition to the textbook he had from last term, his teacher had given his class two more books.

'Good thing Dad makes us work out, or I swear, my back would be breaking right now.' Troy thought to himself. He gave a thin smile to his teacher, and walked towards the cafeteria. He grabbed a chocolate muffin, handing his money to the lunch lady, and went over to the microwave to heat it up.

'Jeez, even the microwave is red and white. How much pride can one school have?' Troy thought to himself as he waited for his muffin to finish heating up. His thoughts then turned to his next class. Troy wasn't sure about how he felt about being in the musical. On once side, he was nervous as hell. He knew that he wasn't an actor, singer, or dancer, but at the same time, Troy was sick of routine. He hoped that maybe being in the musical would be a new opportunity and add more excitement to his life. He was brought out of his thoughts by the beeping of the microwave, signifying that his muffin was done. Grabbing a paper bowl and fork. Troy walked in the direction of the theatre, making sure to avoid the gym, so as to indirectly avoid Chad. He still hadn't figured out how to break it to Chad that he was going to be in the school musical.

Much to his amazement, Troy made it to the theatre with out running into any of his friends. Sitting down in the back of the theatre, and unceremoniously dropping his backpack down next to him, conveniently in the middle of the aisle, Troy took a look at the people who would be his cast mates. He was surprised to find that he didn't know most of them, though there were a few that he knew. Standing out and commanding full attention was Sharpay Evans, dressed from head to toe in pink. She was also very shiny, Troy noticed, as her clothes were covered in various sequins and gemstones. Troy rolled his eyes. Standing next to her was her brother, Ryan Evans, who was wearing the most ridiculous hat Troy had ever seen in his life. He had a feeling that Sharpay was involved in his hat choice though, and he couldn't think of one self-respecting strait man that would wear a glittery hot pink hat. But then, Troy thought to himself, with all the rumors going around East High, Troy wouldn't be surprised if Ryan _were_ a very self-respecting strait man. "Well," said Troy, "power to ya, man." He knew how hard it was to be different at East High. Other than that, Troy realized he knew no one else in the room. Granted, he could tell that a couple of them were in his class, and had taking classes with him at some point during his four years at East High, but he was saddened to realize that he didn't remember any of their names. As he stared incredulously at a boy who he could have sworn he had met once, he was jolted back into reality as he heard a soft "humph" followed by the feeling of a soft pressure against his leg. Looking down in surprise, Troy saw a girl sprawled on the ground with her head in his lap.

"Oh my gosh! I am so sorry!" the girl gushed as she quickly got up from her awkward position. "I was running because I was late for class, and Mrs. Darbus scares me to death, and I wasn't looking where I was going, and I guess I tripped."

Troy laughed. "No, I should be apologizing. It's pretty obvious that if anything, you feel over my backpack, which I very nicely left sitting in the middle of the aisle. So I must entirely take the blame."

The girl cocked her head to one side, and looked at him curiously. Troy found it slightly unnerving, though not in a bad way. Her face broke out into a smile and she shrugged, and then stuck out her hand.

"Gabriella Montez," said the girl. Troy looked at her hand for a moment, then stood up, and grasped it.

"Troy Bolton," replied Troy, giving her hand a shake. He watched her face, looking for her reaction. He wasn't let down.

"Like oh my god! I just shook Troy Bolton's hand! I totally didn't know it was you, because it's dark but like oh my god, I shook your hand! I like, fell in your lap! I'm like, never washing this hand again!" Gabriella whisper screamed, hopping up and down. Troy recoiled in shock. That wasn't what he expected at all. He looked down at his feet, then sat back down, and grabbing his muffin to eat, deciding he would ignore the strange girl. He paused though, when he noticed that she had stopped jumping around, and looked up to see her standing above him with a smirk on her face.

She raised her eyebrows at him, "Chill man, I was joking. Do you get that a lot or something?" 'I'm sure he does,' she thought to herself, 'maybe I should just treat him like any of my other friends, he obviously can't be that bad. Right? And maybe he'll notice me!'

Troy sighed in relief. "Well, never quite like that, but I have gotten some pretty strange comments when I introduce myself. It's kind of annoying actually. I mean, I'm just a guy. Nothing all that special. Really."

Gabriella looked at him in appraisal. Troy watched her face. He felt as though he was being calculated, but was relieved when her face fell into a soft smile. He liked this girl. She kept him on his toes. "Hey, do you want to sit, I think Mrs. Darbus is going to start class soon," said Troy.

"I'd love to," replied Gabriella, and moved over to take a seat next to him and sat down just as Mrs. Darbus entered the room.

"Hello fellow thespians. We are gathered here today, in this wonderful chapel of the arts, to bring forth the best musical production this school has ever seen!" exclaimed Mrs. Darbus, her voice filled with passion. Gabriella and Troy raised their eyebrows at each other when they heard many of their peers clapping. "To begin, I will call each of you up with one other of your classmates to see how you sound, and how you blend. You make think of this as your audition."

There was a loud intake of breath from Sharpay. Mrs. Darbus looked at her knowingly. "Do not worry Sharpay, I'm doing it a little differently this year. Since Principle Matsui embedded the musical into the curriculum, I have decided to change our normal procedure a bit. Needless to say, you have nothing to worry about. In fact, why don't you and Ryan start us off! Kelsi has your music for you. For those of you who don't read music, do not fret. This is very much a cold reading."

Sharpay and Ryan took the stage, and Gabriella and Troy watched from the back. Gabriella looked down and noticed the muffin seated in Troy's lap. She leaned over and whispered in his ear.

"Wait! You like heated chocolate muffins too?" Gabriella asked Troy in surprise.

He looked over at her, wonder etched across his face. "Of course! You do too?"

"People always think I'm really weird!" They both said together, before dissolving into fits of quiet laughter. Stifling their laughter so as not to disturb the next couple on stage, Troy offered his muffin to Gabriella. They both then sat in the back of the theatre, quietly munching on the muffin watching their classmates perform. Slow but surely the number of people left started two dwindle, and both Troy and Gabriella became increasingly nervous, as they began to realize that they too would have to go up there and perform. Gabriella's nerves were also heighten as she slow came to realize that she was sitting next to Troy Bolton, the boy that she had liked for as long as she could remember, sharing a muffin with him.

'This is all just so weird,' she thought to herself, 'especially the fact that he's so down to earth. He makes me feel comfortable, not silly and dorky like I thought he would be.'

That said, both Try and Gabriella were both very surprised when they heard Mrs. Darbus speak. "And now, our last pair before I let you all go, is Gabriella Montez and Troy Bolton." Troy and Gabriella looked at each other, horror, surprise, and nervousness written across both of their faces while whispers spread across the theatre. Most people were surprised by the fact that Troy Bolton was going to be in the musical. Seeing as he had sat in the back of the theatre, no one had noticed him when they entered. It's not like they were going to look for him.

They approached the stage and each grabbed sheet music from Kelsi. She started to play, and they began to sing.

_**Start of Something New**_

Troy looked down at the sheet music, than cleared his throat then nervously started to sing.

**(Troy) **

_Living in my own world, didn't understand_

_That anything can happen when you take a chance._

Troy saw Gabriella look at her page, obviously scared. He inclined his head a bit and smiled at her encouragingly. Gabriella took a deep breath and began to sing.

**(Gabriella) **

_I never believed in what I couldn't see _

_I never opened my heart _

**(Troy)**

_(oh)_

She smiled slightly as she say Troy relax and begin to get into the song. If he could do it, so could she. Gabriella could feel in her heart that this song truly represented her own present and her own story. It was no coincidence that she was standing up here with Troy, singing this song. It couldn't possibly be.

**(Gabriella)**

_to all the possibilities _

_(oooooooooo) _

**(Together) **

_I know _

**(Gabriella)**

_That something has changed _

They smiled to each other and both felt their hearts soar.

**(Together)**

_Never felt this way _

**(Gabriella) **

_And right here tonight _

**(Together) **

_This could be the start of something new _

_It feels so right to be here with you (oh) _

_And now looking in your eyes _

_I feel in my heart the start of something new _

Gabriella and Troy sang to each other, so wrapped up in the song, and in each other's presence that they both completely forgot their nerves.

**(Troy) **

_Oh, yeah now who'd ever thought that we'd both be here tonight?_

**(Gabriella) **

_Ooh yeah, and the world looks so much brighter (brighter) oh, with you by my side _

For Troy, nothing had ever felt as natural as sing up on stage with Gabriella, and he instantly knew that he didn't want this feeling to go away.

**(Troy)**

_(By my side) _

Gabriella was amazed by the emotions that were flowing through her body. Never had she felt this comfortable singing. While she sang at home in front of her mirror, had even sang at her church, she had never felt like she was accomplishing something, but when she sang with Troy, she felt alive.

**(Together) **

_I know that something has changed _

_Never felt this way _

_I know it for real _

_This could be the start of something new _

_It feels so right to be here with you (oh) _

_And now looking in your eyes _

_I feel in my heart the start of something new _

Troy was amazed at himself. He had just met this girl, and yet he felt more connected to her than he had ever felt to anyone. He found her voice captivating, and decided he never wanted to have to be with out it. Troy didn't understand the feelings flowing through his veins. It was the same feeling he got when he made a perfect three-pointer in basketball, yet somehow he knew, it was even better.

**(Troy) **

_I never knew that it could happen 'till it happened to me, ooh yeah _

**(Together) **

_I didn't know it before but now it's easy to see (ooooh) _

_It's a start of something new _

_It feels so right to be here with you (oh) _

_And now looking in your eyes _

_I feel in my heart (feel in my heart) _

_That it's the start of something new _

_It feels so right to be here with you (ooh) _

_And now looking in your eyes I feel in my heart, _

Gabriella looked Troy in the eye. She knew that he was special, and she wanted him to know it. She found herself being pulled in by his shining blue eyes. They were a light with happiness, admiration, and something else that she couldn't pinpoint. She found she couldn't look away.

**(Gabriella)**

_The start of something new _

Gabriella's eyes amazed Troy. They were a beautiful chocolate brown, reflecting all the hope and amazement that she was feeling at the moment. Troy was entranced, and decided he wanted to stay in her eyes forever.

**(Troy) **

_The start of something new _

As the song came to and end, Troy pulled Gabriella close, and they got lost in each others eyes, ignorant of the looks on their peer's faces. In the back of her mind, Gabriella knew that she shouldn't have been able to sing that song with constantly looking at her music, but somehow she felt as thought the music was written exactly for her and Troy. They were both oblivious to the rest of the world, singing only from their souls. They sang the last notes together, as a promise for the future.

**(Together) **

_The start of something new…_

They were shaken out of their reverie by the sound of applause. Both Troy and Gabriella blushed, both sneaking glances at each other. Mrs. Darbus smiled to herself. She had found her Arnold and Minnie.

* * *

**Translation of the conversation at the beginning:** (I'm not taking Spanish this year, as I took the AP last year, so my Spanish is a little rusty, but this is essentially what I meant to say.)

"¡Thank you for class, Mrs. Gonzales!" said Gabriella.

"It's nothing Gabriella, but, if I may, I have a question for you. You speak Spanish very well, as well as very fluidly. Do you speak Spanish at home?"

Gabriella laughed slightly, and responded naturally, "Now, no, but when I was a child I used to speak it all the time with my father. My mother as well sometimes, but when my father died, I stopped speaking it. Well, unless I had class."

Her teacher nodded in understanding. "Ah, I understand. I'm sorry about your father, but class starts in five minutes. So, bye! We'll see each other soon."

"I hope you have a good day!" replied Taylor and Gabriella together.

**Author's Note: **Aww, I am really happy with this chapter! Pretty long too, 8 pages. I'm quite proud of myself actually. Anyway, please review and let me know what you think. Should I continue it? I am really loving where it's at right now, so I probably will update regardless. Don't forget, I personally respond to every review!


	3. Chapter 3: Vultures

**Author's Note: **Hey guys! Sorry this took so long to update, but I've been super busy with school and college applications. However I submitted my important application today, so I figured I deserved a break, and thought I would update this song. This chapter is dedicated to my lovely reviewers **tracij89, hyppperrr,** and** kiwifrute135**. _The song is "Vulture" by John Mayer. _Please review!

**Disclaimer: **None of this is mine. Seriously.

* * *

**Caught In The Act**

_Chapter 3: Vultures_

* * *

**With Troy:**

Troy walked into his room, threw his backpack and basketball bag onto to floor, and fell onto his bed. He rubbed his hands over his face as he thought of the homework he had to do. Deciding that he would not be able to get any work done when he was as dirty and sweaty as he was at the moment, Troy pushed himself off of the bed and wandered over to his bathroom to take a shower.

As the let the hot water run down his face, Troy reflected on his day. His course load was hard this term, and he knew that he was going to be super stressed with basketball on top of all his homework and the musical. The musical. Troy was still confused by what he had experienced earlier. When he first saw the class on his schedule he had the full intention of dropping the class, but after singing with Gabriella today, he was reconsidering. Troy was surprised that he had never noticed how beautiful she was before. He knew who she was as she had won countless academic awards for East High, but then he figured that he had been preoccupied with whatever comment Chad was making about her, to actually take a look at East High's Einstinette.

He also had no idea that she could sing. Come to think of it, he had never realized that he could sing. And yet, singing with her felt natural. When he sang with her, he could let go and be free of all the pressures that surrounded his life normally.

Troy sighed. He had no idea what he was going to do now. He knew their audition had gone well. They had both seen the looks on their peer's faces, as well as the look of triumph on Ms. Darbus's features. He doubted they would get Arnold and Minnie, as Sharpay and Ryan deserved it more, but the thought of long afternoon rehearsals with Gabriella was quite intriguing. Troy shook his head in frustration. Deciding that waiting until the cast list was posted would be the best course of action at the moment, Troy let his mind wander back to Gabriella, and he felt peaceful again. He let out a sigh and decided to enjoy the moment of relaxation he had at the moment. He found himself closing his eyes, and singing softly.

_This could be the start of something new…._

**With Gabriella:**

Gabriella was currently sitting in a chair on her balcony with an open book lying in her lap. However the young woman was not reading the book, but staring off, seeming lost in the sunset.

Gabriella was indeed staring off in to space, as she pondered her day. She was still in shock about the musical. She had performed in front of some fifteen odd people with out contracting a bad case of stage fright. On top of that she had talked, even flirted with Troy Bolton. What surprised her about this most was how down to earth he was. She had thought that he was an arrogant airhead like Chad Danforth, but she now knew that this was not true at all. Not only was he very modest, but he also was taking some AP classes. When Gabriella had first received her schedule, she was planned on transferring into painting with Taylor, but after singing with Troy, she wasn't so sure about this. She still held the hope that he might notice her. She closed her book softly and looked over at the messenger bag that lay down on the floor next to her bed. Getting up, she walked over too her book case and filed the book she had been previously reading in its correct spot before going over to her bag and tentatively taking out her script. Walking back out onto her balcony, she curled up on her loveseat and started to read.

_Spotlights are on, ARNOLD, who is frozen, hiding behind a trash can, holding battered notebook in his hand. MINNIE is frozen cowering in fear from her FATHER who is towering above her, with a beer bottle in his hand. Lights down. Lights up on ARNOLD and MINNIE who are walking down an aisle in a grocery store from opposite sides, and when they reach the center; they both reach for the same box of cereal. It is the last one available…_

**With Troy:**

"So you ready for basketball practice?" asked Chad excitedly as he, Troy, Zeke, and Jason tossed the remainder of their lunches.

"Yeah, sure Chad, but we still have another class before school gets out. Lunch only just ended," Troy said with a laugh. A look of shock crossed Chad's face, and the other three started laughing.

"You're joking, right Troy?" said Chad desperately, which only caused them to laugh harder.

"And I thought Jason was oblivious," Zeke choked out, before dissolving in laughter again.

Troy looked at the clock, and realized that class would be starting soon, which meant that the cast list would be posted soon. "Hey guys, sorry to bold on you, but I need to stop by the bathroom before my next class. I'll see you all at practice. Remember, 4 o'clock today, because JV has the gym for a little while!" With that, Troy slipped away and made his way towards the auditorium filled with apprehension.

As he entered, his eyes were immediately drawn to the beautiful brunette, who was currently immobilized in front of a piece of paper that he supposed was the cast list. Troy walked up to her, and placed his hand on her shoulder. He was pleased to notice that she came up just to his chin, and longed to pull her against him, and place his chin on her head, but he refrained. He looked down at Gabriella, and was surprised when he found her looking up into his eyes with trepidation. Slowly, he turned to look at the sheet taped in front of them.

**Twinkle Towne**

**Cast:**

Arnold Wilson: Troy Bolton; understudy: Ryan Evans

Minnie Anderson: Gabriella Montez; understudy: Sharpay Evans

Rebecca Shaft: Sharpay Evans

Robert Anderson: Ryan Evans

The list continued, but Troy didn't noticed. His eyes were glued to his name. He finally came back when he felt Gabriella's shoulder tense beneath him. He looked up to see Sharpay, Ryan, and Kelsi coming towards him.

"Hey Gabs," said Kelsi cheerfully.

"Hey Kels," said Gabriella hesitantly, shooting looks at Sharpay, who was currently wearing a blank and distant look on her face. Her voice soft and fearful, Gabriella turned and spoke to the Evan's twins. "Sharpay, look I'm sor-" Sharpay, who quickly broke out into a smile, cut her off.

"Girlie, it's no problem at all. In fact, I'm really proud of you. I told you ages ago to try out, and you never listened. But look, one audition, and you get the lead! By the way, Ryan, you owe me five bucks." She held her hand out dramatically, and Ryan grumbled while pulling out his wallet and fishing out a five-dollar bill for his sister. Troy and Gabriella looked at them skeptically.

"They had a bet that Sharpay could trick you in to thinking she was mad at you for getting cast as Minnie. Ryan said you wouldn't fall for it. I think he's immune to his sister's looks by now, because for a moment I believed it her too." The four of them chuckled softly, and Troy felt slightly left out. Gabriella, noticing this, smiled at him slightly.

"So guys, I want you to officially meet Troy Bolton. Troy, this is Ryan, Kelsi, the composer, and Sharpay. Guys, this is Troy. He likes warm chocolate muffins too!" A look of disgust crosses all of their faces.

"I can't believe someone else eats that concoction of yours. I don't think even Chad Danforth would eat that! No offense, Troy," exclaimed Ryan.

"None taken. Amazingly enough, Chad actually won't eat them. I think it is the only food on this planet that he won't touch. On the other hand, that means there are more for me!" Troy said with a smile. He liked these guys, and he again found himself regretting the stringent status quo that East High abided by. While it was obvious that some people, such as Gabriella disregarded it, Troy found himself worried about what would happen when word of this years casting got out. He wasn't disappointed.

**With Gabriella:**

When Gabriella entered school the next day, she knew something was wrong. As she walked down the hall she received glares from every side. With a heavy sigh, she realized that news about the casting of Twinkle Towne had gotten out. After stopping at her locker, she headed to homeroom, contemplating what to say to Taylor. As soon as she entered, the room went silent, a tell tale sign that she had been the topic of conversation. As looked around the room, and her eyes connected with Taylor, and she slowly walked over to take her seat. As soon as she sat down, Taylor leaned forward, and grasped her shoulder harshly.

"Please say that the rumors that you have been cast as the lead in the musical along side Troy Bolton are untrue!" Taylor whispered to her desperately.

"The rumors that I have been cast as the lead in the musical along side Troy Bolton are untrue," Gabriella replied sardonically.

"What? Gabi! You have to pull out! You can't do the musical! You have the decathlon to worry about. Look, I know you like Sharpay and them but they are different then us. And you and Troy? It's impossible. Look, I know you like him but–"

Gabriella cut her off. "Look, I didn't mean for this to happen, but we got the parts that we did, and I can't back out now. And I don't like Troy. Yes, he's nice, and very cute, but nothing is going to happen between us." Taylor nodded her head vigorously as Gabriella continued. "But please, Tay, lay off. It is not a big deal. And this won't interfere with my work for the Decathlon team!" She turned around in frustration, and stared at the clock, knowing it was going to be a long day.

**With Troy:**

Troy had been lucky so far, and had some how managed to avoid Chad. He was scared of what Chad's reaction was going to be, but he was glad to know that both Zeke and Jason were on his side. Though Troy believed that they supported him in part to get to Sharpay and Kelsi, he also knew that they hated East High's status quo just as much as he did. The bell rang, signaling lunch, and not wanting to stomach the stares and whispers in the cafeteria, Troy made his way up to the garden balcony. He had found this place after school in the end of his freshman year. His father had had to stay late to file some paper work, and Troy had finished his homework so he went to explore the school. He came upon a non descript door, and opened it to find that it lead a stairway. He walked up the staircase to find a landing with flowers and a bench. Ever since then, Troy had come here to escape the craziness of life. Glad that he had brought his lunch from home today, Troy opened the door and walked up the staircase, ready for some quality alone time.

Thus, when he walked onto the landing, he was surprised to find it already occupied. A smile graced his face as he took in her peaceful form. She was lying on her back on the bench with bent legs and eyes closed. Troy couldn't help finding her breathtakingly beautiful. He walked forward as quietly to keep from waking her up, and went and sat down next to her, looking out at the mountains in the distance. As he lost himself in thought, his fingers unconsciously ran through her hair. Gabriella opened her eyes to see vacant Troy above her. She smiled as she felt his fingers in her hair, but frowned when she saw his crinkled brow. She slowly lifted her hand to smooth out the creases which brought him out of his reverie. He looked down at her and smiled softly.

"Sorry for waking you," he said quietly.

She grinned softly. "It's not problem. I was thinking mostly."

Troy nodded in understanding. "The casting?" She nodded. "Look, Ella, if you don't want to do this, we can go talk to Darbus, and switch with Sharpay and Ryan," he trailed off. She sat up and walked over to the ledge.

"It's not that I don't want to do it. I'm actually really excited about it. It's just everyone reaction. I don't understand why this school is obsessed with its status quo. I've been to many school, most of which had cliques, but I was always allowed to talk to and be friends with people in other groups. But here, I feel like no one wants to mix. Until I met Sharpay, Ryan, and Kelsi, I thought I was the only one." Troy stood and walked over to her.

"You're not. I agree with you. So do Zeke and Jason. Although, if you ask me, its because they have their eyes on Shar and Kelsi," Troy shook his head with a soft chuckle.

Gabriella turned her head to look him in the eye. "Did you really want to change it though? Until this class, you never even noticed me Troy. I bet you didn't know the names of most of the people in our theatre class before the first day. You may not have liked it, but you never made a move to change it. Now, all of a sudden, you want to change everything. Is the school ready for this? And more importantly, are _you _ready for this Troy?" Gabriella looked him directly in the eye, and he felt his resolve crumble under her stare. They both broke their gaze and looked out at the mountains in front of them.

Troy sighed. "I guess I'm scared. I hate the popularity that basketball gives me, but its all I have ever known. And yet, I know that it is wrong. And now, I've been given a chance to change it, and I just feel like I have to take it." He turned to her. "I can't let this continue. It has hurt to many people. I'm sick of being their hero. I've never wanted to be that person. I just want to be Troy." He looked back out into the distance. "Just Troy," he said again softly.

_**Vultures**_

**(Gabriella)**

_Some of us, we're hardly ever here_

_The rest of us, we're born to disappear_

Gabriella turned and looked at Troy, who was still staring out and listening to her voice.

_How do I stop myself from_

_Being just a number_

_How will I hold my head_

_To keep from going under_

_Down to the wire_

_I wanted water but_

_I'll walk through the fire_

_If this is what it takes_

_To take me even higher_

_Then I'll come through_

_Like I do_

_When the world keeps_

_Testing me, testing me, testing me_

Gabriella returned to starting off into this distance. Troy looked at her, and thought about the words. Was the world testing him? Was he ready to take on this test, and the consequences of it? He thought about Chad. Was he willing to give up his best friend for this girl, as he feared the musical would force him to do? Was he over reacting? Was it worth it? And most importantly, was _she_ worth it?

**(Troy)**

_How did they find me here?_

_What do they want from me?_

_All of these vultures hiding_

_Right outside my door_

_I hear them whisperin'_

_They're tryin' to ride it out_

_They've never gone this long_

_Without a kill before_

_Down to the wire_

_I wanted water but_

_I'll walk through the fire_

_If this is what it takes_

_To take me even higher_

_Then I'll come through_

_Like I do_

_When the world keeps_

_Testing me, testing me, testing me_

Somehow, Troy knew that he had always known the answer to this question. Yes. Yes, she was most definitely worth it, and so he knew the answer to all his questions: a resounding yes. Gabriella looked over, and saw his eyes shining and she knew that he understood.

**(Together)**

_Wheels up_

_I got to leave this evening_

_Can't seem to shake these vultures_

_Off of my trail_

_Power is made, by power being taken_

_So I keep on running_

_To protect my situation_

_Down to the wire_

_I wanted water but_

_I'll walk through the fire_

_If this is what it takes_

_To take me even higher_

_Then I'll come through_

_Like I do_

_When the world keeps_

_Testing me, testing me_

**(Troy)**

_Oooooooooooo_

**(Together)**

_Oooooooooooo_

**(Gabriella)**

_Oooooooooooo_

**(Together)**

_Oooooooooooo_

**(Gabriella)**

_Whatcha gonna do about it_

**(Troy)**

_Whatcha gonna do about it_

**(Together)**

_Whatcha gonna do about it_

_**(Gabriella)**_

_Don't give up give up_

**(Troy)**

_Don't give up give up give up_

**(Together)**

_Don't give up give up give up_

They were silent for a moment, and then Gabriella turned around and walked over to the bench. She reached down into her bag and pulled out her script, then sat down, and stared expectantly at Troy. He again found himself unnerved by her stare, and with a smile he walked over to her.

"So what do you say Troy? Do you want to enact change, or do you want keep having to hide up here? I can only keep a secret for the science club for so long, you know." Troy looked over at her, confused. She laughed, and he quickly decided that her laugh was one of his favorite sounds. "You do know this garden belongs to the science club, right? Well who do you think is the president?" A look of understanding crossed his face, and she grinned before continuing. "I came up here one day to water the plants, and heard you talking to yourself, so I left. Ever since then, I've always checked to make sure you weren't here before I came up. I realized that you didn't want anyone to know about this spot, so I never told anyone for the club. I assume they've all forgotten we even have this garden by now."

Troy turned and looked at her with amazement. "Why would you do that for me? You didn't even know me…" He trailed off, and then took her hand, before shaking his head and continuing. "Regardless, thank you. That means a lot for me. You are too generous for your own good though. I've been nothing by nice to me, and I didn't even know you went to this school until a few days ago. I wish there was something I could do to thank you, to repay you."

Gabriella smiled. "Then do the musical. If we both do this, we will not only be helping ourselves, but the whole school. You said yourself that you're sick of the status quo, so DO something about it. You are the playmaker. Create a whole new game."

Troy looked at her and then smiled. "A new game. I like it."

* * *

Well there you have it, Chapter 3! Please review! Hopefully I'll update soon!


	4. Chapter 4: Take Me There

**Author's Note:** Sorry I haven't updated in a while. I know I said I would update quickly, but schools been hell. However, I've finally submitted all of my college applications, so I have some more free time, finally! This chapter was kind of hard for me to write, because the part about Gabi's father is loosely based on my relationship to my dad. Luckily, he didn't meet the same end as Mr. Montez did but nevertheless it was difficult to write. This chapter is dedicated to my reviewers **BrazilianPrincess** and **Samantha7679**. _Song is "Take Me There" by Rascal Flatts._

**Disclaimer:** Yeah, none of this is mine!

* * *

**Caught In The Act**

_Chapter 4: __Take Me There_

* * *

**With Gabriella:**

If anyone were to go up to the Science Club's roof top garden, they would be surprised to find East High's "Goldon Boy" Troy Bolton and "Einstienette" Gabriella Montez caught up in both the scene they were doing and each other.

"Look, Min, he needs help. If you won't get him help, then I will," said Troy, his voice full of worry.

Gabriella broke him off "Arnold-"

Troy shook his head, "no, listen to me, Minnie. If you won't get him treatment, then I will. I can't stand watching you get hurt again. I read your dairy, you know that, and we know what he's done to you. I care about you, Min. I'm not going to let him take you away from me."

Gabriella glanced at Troy, surprised at the passion with which he was reading his lines. She grasped his hand slightly. "I'm not going anywhere," she whispered. Caught up in the act, they leaned forward, their lips inches apart. 'Is this in the script?' Gabriella thought to herself. Just as their lips were about to touch, the bell rang, startling them out of their reverie. They looked at each other in surprise and fear, and ran off to get to their respective classes.

**With Troy:**

Troy was disheartened when he realized that he had English next, meaning that he was going to have class with Chad. He knew that he would have to face Chad sooner or later.

He mentally cursed himself, 'I choose later.'

Chad had been his best friend since pre-school. He therefore, should support Troy in whatever stupid things he tried to do. Troy laughed at himself. He knew Chad would be pissed, and even a billion years of friendship weren't going to change that.

Troy walked into the classroom, and immediately felt eyes on him. Trying his best to ignore the stares of his peers, he sat down in his seat and got ready for class. He felt his phone buzz in his pocket, and he glanced at his teacher, before he opened it to see a text from Chad.

"Dude.

I dunno wht got in ur head tkn "musical producion" but u bttr transfur out 2 save ur rep.

Leeding w/ Geeky Gabby? R u out of ur mind? Save urslf man

-Chad"

Troy rolled his eyes at Chad's shallow text and horrible spelling. If all Chad was worried about were his and Troy's reputations, then something was wrong in their friendship. Troy shook his head, and pushed his hair out of his eyes and concentrated on his teacher's lecture, studiously ignoring Chad's continuous stream of texts.

"Mr. Danforth, no cell phones use during class. Once more, and that will be detention for you, do you understand?" said their teacher, not looking up from the white board. Looking around the classroom in confusion, Chad nodded meekly, and let out a "yes sir," before closing his phone and slipping it back his pocket. After class, Troy quickly left the classroom to avoid Chad. He needed to talk to Zeke and Jason first.

After signaling them quietly, the three of them ventured to the locker rooms, as they had gym next. Because it was break, they knew that they would have some time to themselves before the rest of the guys entered to get changed.

"So I'm sure you've heard about the musical by now. What do you guys think?" asked Troy as he changed into his basketball shorts and a loose shirt.

"Well I think its fine. As long as you're happy, then why should I complain? You know I hate this status quo stuff. I'm sick of everybody asking about my mom's cookies. I want people to know that I can bake, you know?" said Zeke, as he tied his basketball shoes.

"Yeah. Besides, if you can make Kelsi's music sound good, then I definitely have no reason to object," agreed Jason. "You are a good singer, right?" he asked, apprehensively.

A look of worry passed over Zeke's features, which Troy quickly noticed. "Don't worry Zeke, Sharpay's not mad. In fact she's been really supportive, and offered to help Ella with some of here songs."

Both Zeke and Jason turned to look at him in surprise. "Ella?" they asked together.

Troy blushed slightly. "I dunno, sorta came up with it. I haven't asked her about it yet, but I used it the other day, and she didn't say anything. Granted, she was a little peeved at me at the time, but…" He trailed off, and they laughed at him.

"Dude, you're rambling. But it's okay. Your secret is safe with us." Said Zeke cheekily.

Troy threw a towel at him. "Anyway, thanks guys, I going to go up to the gym, avoid Chad a little longer, if possible." They nodded, and the three of them headed out to the gym.

After class, Troy went over to his father, who was also his gym coach. "Hey dad, can I talk to you?"

"Sure Troy, what's bugging you?" replied Jack Bolton.

"You've heard about the musical right?" Asked Troy nervously.

"Yeah, I've heard. When were you going to tell me you got the lead?" he responded cheekily.

Troy looked at his father in surprise. "You mean you're not mad?"

A look of astonishment crossed his father's face. "Of course not Troy. You know how much I hate the cliques this school has. It makes teaching impossible. If you can change that, then what do I have to complain about? Besides. I'm your father, I'll always be proud of you. As you coach however, I just want you to know that if this musical interferes with your game, then there will be trouble." In an unusual show of affection, Troy ran up and hugged his father.

"Thanks dad, that means a lot. Anyway, I have to go have a quick rehearsal with Gabi and Kelsi, but I'll see you at practice!" With a final wave, Troy ran off to take a quick shower before heading to the music room.

**With Gabriella:**

Gabriella sat on her bed, reflecting about the last few weeks. Rehearsals had been going well. She was getting to know Troy really well and the more time she spent with him, the more she liked him. She was also getting closer to Sharpay, Ryan, and Kelsi, as well as a few of the other people in her theatre class. The only downside was that her relationship with Taylor was suffering. They had hardly spoken since their conversation in homeroom, and Gabriella missed her best friend. She knew that the reason that they were fighting was stupid, but she was too proud to go talk to Taylor. She desperately wanted to call Taylor up and asked her about Troy and his recent actions, but that was impossible.

With a sigh, Gabriella went over to her desk and pulled out her chemistry textbook then walked back over to her bed. Engrossed in her notes, she didn't notice the light tapping on her balcony door at first, shaking it off as her imagination. But when she heard it again, she looked up to see a familiar form standing in the doorway. With a smile, she walked over to the door and let him in.

"What are you doing here Troy? I thought you had a game?" Gabriella asked, as she headed back over to her bed, and marked the paged in her textbook, before turning around and facing him again.

Troy nodded his head. "We did. We beat them by a wide margin. It was a fast game."

Gabriella nodded. "So what brings you to my bedroom, Mr. Bolton. Not that I mind the company, but I was studying for a Chem test I have on Friday."

Troy laughed and rolled his eyes. "Trust East High's top brainiac to be studying for a Friday test on a Wednesday night." Gabriella threw her pencil at him, which he deftly caught. "Now, you didn't really think you could hit me did you?" Troy asked with an arrogant smirk as he strutted towards her.

Gabriella was suddenly stuck with an idea. Slowly, she leaned back to grab onto the pillow behind her. "Yeah, that was incredibly stupid of me. I mean, how could I ever think that I could pull one over on East High's main man, Troy Bolton?" As she said this she grasped the pillow and swung it, hitting Troy square in the head. He sputtered for a moment and she laughed.

"Oh you are so going to get it, Montez," Troy cried as he grabbed another pillow off o f her bed. As soon as she caught her breath, she turned around, only to hit over the head by Troy. With a screaming laugh, she hit him back and a ferocious pillow fight began.

**With Christina:**

Hearing noises coming from her daughter's room Christina Montez went up to check on Gabriella. As she drew closer, she heard her daughter screaming, "Troy don't! No, Troy! Stop it!" Fear filled her, and Christina ran to her daughter's door, and thrust it open. She was ready to kill this Troy that was hurting her Gabriella, so she was shocked when she looked about her daughter's room. Gabriella's normally spotless room was covered in white feathers. The girl in question was currently on the ground, laughing hysterically, as a boy who Christina assumed to be Troy, tickled her mercilessly. Assured that her daughter was unharmed, she went to leave, but then decided that she would have some fun at her daughter's expense. She cleared her throat.

"Exactly what is going on in here?" Christina said, her tone angry. She inwardly laughed as Troy and Gabriella jumped apart, their faces blazing. They really will make an adorable couple one day, she thought to herself. "And such gorgeous grandchildren. Hold on Christina, you're getting ahead of yourself. Focus on the situation at hand," she mentally reprehended herself, before turning her attention back to the two teenagers in front of her.

"Who are you?" She asked Troy.

"Um… My name is Troy Bolton, Ma'am. It's very nice to meet you Ms. Montez."

"Well yes, ah… Troy did you say? You're the one who's going to be in the musical with my daughter?"

"Mom!" Gabriella warned.

"Yes ma'am," said Troy.

"Well you see that she looks good, you hear? You better not make my little girl look like a fool," Christina threatened. She was mildly surprised to see his face break out into a wide smile.

"I wouldn't dream of it! Ella deserves all the praise in the world. Making her look good would be the very least I could do," Troy replied. She could see his blue eyes dancing, and knew that Gabi had found her protector at last. She wasn't worried.

"Well then, since that is settled, would you kids like Pizza for dinner? I was thinking of ordering some." The two teens nodded vigorously. Christina smiled. "Cheese sound ok?" They both agreed, and she turned to walk out. When she got to the door however, she turned back around to face them. "Oh, and by the way, Troy?" He looked back at her, fear once again clouding his eyes. "Call me Christina." And with a smile, she turned and walked out.

**With Gabriella:**

"Well that was sufficiently awkward," Gabriella said, looking anywhere by Troy's eyes. He laughed, and touched her arm, and she looked up at him, happy to see a smile gracing his face.

"It could have been worse. I mean, it could have been your dad, threatening to kill me or something." Gabriella looked down, tears coming to her eyes. Troy looked at her with abject horror. "Oh Ella, I am so sorry. I didn't know." She went over and sat down on her bed. Reaching over to her bedside table, she picked up a photo and stared at it, tears rolling down her face.

"When I was a little girl, I was a daddy's girl. I loved him and aspired to be just like he when I grew up. But then, when I was in 4th grade, he started drinking. He wasn't abusive or anything, he just wasn't himself. He went into rehab a couple of times, but it never stopped his drinking. Mom threatened to leave he a couple of times, and she actually kicked him out of the house for a while, but he would always eventually take up the habit again." Gabriella sighed, and Troy sat down next to her, wrapping his arms around her, holding her close as she continued her story.

"Around the middle of my 8th grade year, he cleaned up. I thought we were going to be ok. But then things started to get bad at his office. He was a lawyer and owned his own firm. He was away at a conference with his biggest client and apparently he left in the middle of a meeting. He was drunk. He of course, lost that company, and others followed suit. This caused him to drink more. One night, he took the car and went out to the super market. He wanted "ice cream". I now know that he and my mom had just had a fight because he was drunk, yet again, and he needed to get out. He never came home." The photo slipped out of her hands and fell with a clatter onto the floor. Gabi didn't notice.

"Turns out, he was driving drunk, and saw some teenagers walking down the street. He tried to avoid them, and slammed into a streetlamp, killing one of the kids, and himself."

At this point, Gabriella was crying hard. Troy picked her up before getting on the bed completely, and gently, he held the sobbing girl to him. He whispered soft nothings in her ear as he intermediately placed soft kisses on her forehead and brushed the tears off her cheeks. As he ran his fingers through her hair, he heard Christina yell that the pizza was here. Knowing that Gabi was in no mood to eat, he continued to hold her. Christina opened the door to Gabriella's room to find her daughter in tears. She looked at Troy, concerned, and he gestured to the photo that now lay on the floor. Nodding in understanding, she went downstairs and grabbed a couple of pieces of pizza and put them on a plate. Hurrying back upstairs, she placed them on Gabriella's desk. "For later," she mouthed to Troy. He smiled in understanding.

As the door closed, Troy felt Gabriella stir. He looked down at her tear stained face and used his thumb to wipe her cheeks.

"I'm sorry." Gabriella apologized softly "I stained your shirt!"

Troy smiled. "Ella, its just water. It'll come out. And it was more than worth it. I'm sorry for making you cry. You didn't have to tell me that story you know. "

Gabriella looked into his eyes. "I know," she whispered. "In fact, I hardly ever tell that story to anyone. I usually just say that he is dead, but I felt like I could trust you. I _wanted_ to tell you." Troy smiled, and kissed her forehead.

"Well thank you. I am truly honored. " He hugged her close. They sat in companionable silence until it was interrupted by Troy's stomach grumbling. He blushed as she laughed. He inwardly grinned, happy that he could make her happy again.

"Your mom brought up some pizza for us. Normally I'd wait, but…" he gestured down to his stomach. Gabriella laughed.

"Come on Bolton, let's shut up that stomach of yours."

**With Troy:**

The next day, Troy sat in the wings of the stage as he watched Gabriella run through one of Minnie's solos. He could feel the truth in her voice as she sang, and he knew that she was perfect for the roll of Minnie. She was so brave to play the role after all that she had been through, and he believed that she deserved much more credit that she was receiving. He saw a tear roll down her cheek, and Troy longed to wrap her up in his arms and keep her safe.

**(Troy)**

_There's a place in your heart where nobody's been._

_Take me there._

_Things nobody knows, not even your friends._

_Take me there._

_Tell me about your momma, your daddy, your home town, show me around._

_I wanna see it all, don't leave anything out._

_I wanna know, everything about you._

_And I wanna go, down every road you've been._

_Where your hopes and dreams and wishes live, where you keep the rest of your life hid._

_I wanna know the girl behind that pretty stare._

_Take me there._

_Your first real kiss, your first ture love, you were scared._

_Show me where._

_You learned about life, spent your summer nights, without a care._

_Take me there._

_I wanna roll down mainstreet and backroads like you did when you were a kid._

_What makes you who you are, tell me what your story is._

_I wanna know, everything about you._

_And I wanna go, down every road you've been._

_Where your hopes and dreams and wishes live, where you keep the rest of your life hid._

_I wanna know the girl behind that pretty stare. _

_Take me there._

_I wanna roll down mainstreet._

_I wanna know your hopes and your dreams._

_Take me, take me there._

_Yeeeaaaahhhh._

Ryan walked over, and sat down next to him. "You're falling for her, aren't you?" he asked with a smile.

Troy looked over at the blonde sitting next to him. "Is it as crazy as I think it is?"

* * *

Well there's Chapter 4 for you. Please review!


	5. Chapter 5: Wait, Wait, Wait!

**Author's Note:** I'm so sorry that it took me so long to get this out, but I have had major writer's block and I started college in the fall, so I've been really stressed and busy. However, lately I have been in a very writing mood, and I was listening to iTunes, and a song came up, and it reminded me of this story, and suddenly I knew what I wanted to do with my outline. That song will come up shortly, but this chapter is mostly to tie up some loose ends that I was having problems with in the past. So finally, here is chapter 5. Please read and review! This chapter is dedicated to **AniimeChiick**, for her amazing review that inspired me to not let this story die. _The song is "Wait, Wait, Wait!" by The Format._ They are an amazing band, and you should definitely check them out.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing.

* * *

**Caught in the Act**

_Chapter 5: Wait, Wait, Wait!_

* * *

**With Gabriella:**

Gabriella looked at her clock, watching the second hand tick around and around the clock face. 11:34 and 15— no 16 seconds. She turned around, facing away, and squeezing her eyes closed, in a desperate attempt to fall asleep. After lying in bed for 5 minutes and 32 seconds (she knew from looking at the clock) she realized it was hopeless. With a frustrated sigh, she threw back her covers and turned on the Christmas lights that adorned her bed and balcony, and walked outside. She stood with her arms lying on the banister, and looked out at the neighborhood around her.

She knew why she couldn't sleep, but she couldn't clear her thoughts.

School was starting to wear her out, and it was only a few weeks into the new term. Her thoughts drifted to the unfinished essay, and the multitude of chemistry and math problems that she had completed little over an hour ago. She was a good student, and always did her homework, but everything was catching up with her. It was difficult to stay on top of her work and grades, when Mrs. Darbus had her working to the bone for Tinkle Towne, and Mr. Richard's also pressing her to focus more on the Scholastic Decathlon. So that she could "lead the team to victory!"

He might have been more bearable if Taylor was speaking to her, but alas, the fates were not on her side.

Gabriella sighed and absentmindedly hummed a song from the musical under her breath as she thought about her best friend. No matter which was she looked at it, she couldn't understand why Taylor was mad at her.

Her mind flashed back to their earlier conversation.

_Gabriella was gathering up her stuff just after the bell rang, signaling the end of last period. She was tired from a grueling rehearsal, and couldn't wait to go home, finish her homework, and go to sleep early. Much to her pleasure Mr. Richard's had canceled Decathlon practice this afternoon, so she now had the afternoon all to herself._

_Suddenly she felt someone's hands placed over her eyes, and with a laugh she turned around to see Troy's smiling face._

"_Hey Min, you need a ride home?"_

_Gabriella looked at him curiously, "don't you have practice, Basketball Boy?" she asked him as the walked out of the theatre together_

_Troy nodded, then corrected her previous statement, "I mean, do you need a ride home after our respective practices?"_

_Gabriella shook her head. "Mr. Richard's cancelled practice today, so I was just going to walk home."_

_Troy looked at her skeptically, "you do know that it's supposed to rain tonight, right? And that it's been freezing outside…"_

_She nodded. "I know, but I don't mind, I have jacket."_

_Troy poked at the coat that was stuffed in her bag. "This thing? This wouldn't keep you warm if it was 100 degrees out. Don't look at me like that, I know that doesn't make sense."_

"_Arnold, most of the things you say don't make any sense."_

_Troy turned to her, a mischievous look dancing in his eyes. She backed up with a small "eep."_

"_You take that back Ms. Montez, or else!"_

_She put her hands on her hips defiantly. "Oh, like you could hurt me."_

_Troy laughed. "Who said anything about hurting you," he said, before lunging at her, and tickling her sides._

_She instantly started twitching and laughing uncontrollably. "Troy, stop!" she giggled. He was relentless._

"_I believe she told you to stop," said an angry voice, and the two friends looked up to see a fuming Taylor. Troy dropped the hand that he had been using to tickle Gabi, but kept his other hand on her waist, pulling her against him, so that they were side by side._

"_Relax Taylor," spoke Gabriella gentle, though her body betrayed her annoyance at her friend. "It was all in good fun. I insulted him, and he was just getting a little revenge on me. If I was actually serious about him stopping, he would have."_

_Taylor flicked her eyes at Troy. Feeling awkward, he turned to Gabriella._

"_I'm sorry but I have to go to practice, but I'll meet you in the rehearsal room afterwards to drive you home. No. Don't. I'm not letting you walk home in this weather."_

_Gabriella nodded in understanding, and he squeezed her waist before saying a quick goodbye to Taylor and walking off. Taylor glared at his retreating form. "So this is what its coming to? We've been friends for years, and you're willing to drop all of it for him? If what I am seeing is true, then you really aren't the person I thought you were!" cried Taylor, who was obviously agitated and upset. _

_Gabriella moved forwards to comfort her friend but Taylor pulled away. She spoke up quietly, "It's not what you think, please, Tay, let me explain."_

"_There's nothing to explain, Gabi. Ever since you signed up for this musical, you've been a different person."_

_Gabriella cut her off "First of all, Tay, I didn't sign up for the musical, I got placed into it. Second, I'm no different, I'm still the same Gabriella that I was before break. I've just been busy—_

"_We've both been busy," cut off Taylor, spite in her voice, "but we've been busy in different ways. Obviously, you are too busy with your new friends to give a thought about your best friend. Or am I not your best friend anymore, because I don't go prancing around a stage with the Ice Princess?"_

_Gabriella had to restrain herself to keep from slapping her former best friend._

"_If that's how you see me, then maybe you shouldn't be my best friend anymore. I thought you would support me, and be there for me, but I now see that sometimes people do change. Goodbye Taylor." And with that, Gabriella turned on her heel and walked off to her locker._

Okay, so she had auditioned for the musical and gotten the lead. As okay, this meant that she wasn't around as much, because Darbus had her for rehearsals as much as possible. And yes, she now spent almost every waking moment thinking about her costar, but she still cared about Taylor, and she couldn't understand why Taylor didn't believe or understand this. Unable to control them anymore, she let the tears that she had been holding back fall. Suddenly everything that she was trying to do seemed stupid and naïve.

There was a rustling coming from the tree next to her balcony, but she ignored it, lost in her emotions.

She almost cried out in fear when arms wrapped around her waist, but she relaxed when she recognized the scent of Troy's cologne. He pulled her close, placing his chin on the top of her head, and Gabriella was washed with warmth, relishing in how well their bodies fit together. She smiled softly, leant back into him. They stood that way for a while, each lost in their own world and enjoying the feel of each other.

He finally spoke, softly as though he was worried that he might break her. "You want to tell me what wrong? I went looking for you in the rehearsal room, only to find out from Ryan that you decided to walk home. I told you that you'd freeze to death if you did that."

She was quite for a moment, gathering her thoughts. "I got in a fight with Taylor. She thinks that because of the musical, I've changed. I told her that she wasn't a good friend if she wasn't going to support me. And it got me to thinking about what we're doing. What if we aren't supposed to be playing with the status quo. I mean, what if it's there for a reason?"

Troy turned her around in his arms, and looked her in the eyes. There was a fire in them that she had never noticed before.

"Don't ever for a minute let anyone make you think that what you are doing is wrong." She looked down breaking eye contact, and he moved to look at her again. "No, Ella, you have to believe me. There are so many people who support us, and you. They want to deconstruct these walls that we have built around ourselves and bridge the labels and categories and simply be themselves. The problem is that everyone else is too afraid to do something about it. But not you."

She looked as though she was about to speak, but he kept on going. He let go of her waist, and she was suddenly cold as she watched him pace back and forth. Gabriella had never seen him this passionate and agitated before. It both intrigued and scared her.

"Do you remember right after the casting, when you came up to talk to me in the roof garden? You told me that even though I didn't like the status quo, I never made a move to change it. That all of a sudden I decided that what was set was not good enough, and that it needed to change. You asked me if the school was ready for this, and if I was ready. Maybe at the time I wasn't but after spending time with you and the rest of the cast, I understand why we have to do what we are doing. I know that I'm ready, but I think we can both agree that the rest of the school may not be."

She nodded in agreement, and they were silent for a moment, lost in their thoughts.

He spoke again, breaking the silence.

"Don't you think that if the school was ready for these changes, they'd come easily? The reason this is so hard is because people tend to be afraid of change." Troy looked at her, watching her expression as she processed what he had said.

Gabriella finally spoke up. "Why did it have to cost me my best friend though? Why can't she just be excited and supportive of me?"

Troy wrapped his arms around her, and pulled her close, speaking into her hair. "Because she cares about you. She probably thinks that I am going to hurt you, and she wants to prevent that. She doesn't know me, or Ryan, Sharpay, Kelsi, Zeke, and Jason very well, but she knows that we support you. And that scares her. She feels like she's being replaced."

_**Wait, Wait, Wait!**_

**(Troy)**

_The chords we play, ways left to communicate_

_These roads are paved with plans we've made and your headboards never felt so safe_

_Well they'll reach our graves where your friends and I will kill the lights and hide _

_Oh what a nice surprise _

_Don't don't tell me when its coming _

_No don't don't i just want to see it for myself _

_Don't breathe_

_Don't make a sound cause the song wont stop till the tape runs out _

_When melody has nothing to hold I'll be the last sound that you hear as your eyes close _

**(Gabriella)**

_And these chords remain we'll use them to exploit the friends we've since forgot_

_Those friends we've lost you all know just who you are _

_Cause I've since made graves but I'm too scared to etch the names for fear that I'm the one who's changed _

(**Together)**

_Don't don't tell me when its coming _

_No don't don't i just want to see it for myself _

_Don't breathe_

_Don't make a sound cause the song wont stop till the tape runs out _

_When melody has nothing to hold I'll be the last sound that you hear as your eyes close _

**(Gabriella)**

_The thought of death it scares me to death and I don't know why _

_I don't know _

_It's just too much to never wake up _

**(Together)**

_Don't don't tell me when its coming _

_No don't don't I just want to see it for myself _

_Don't breathe_

_Don't make a sound cause the song wont stop till the tape runs out _

_When melody has nothing to hold I'll be the last sound that you hear as your eyes close _

_When melody has nothing to hold I'll be the last sound that you hear as your eyes close_

"What you are trying to do is amazing Ella. I know that right now people seem resentful, but that is only because they are jealous and scared. Show them what they are missing. Everyone wants to be themselves, so lets give them this opportunity."

Gabriella looked up at Troy, and wrapped her arms around him, "Thank you," she whispered into his chest, before hugging him close. "And Ella? Where did that come from?"

Troy laughed. "So she finally noticed! I came up with a while ago, and I've said it before, and you never said anything, so it sort of… stuck. I can stop if you want me to, I mean I already call you Gabriella, Gabi, Minnie, and Min all the time, so its not like you need another nickname, its just something that seemed so you" Troy rambled on before she placed her finger to his lips, her finger tingling at the sensation.

"Stop rambling. And you can call me whatever you want, I really don't care. I like Ella, its new, and somehow, very you."

He shook his head sheepishly and once again they were quiet.

"Hey, do you want to sit down?" Gabi asked suddenly, and led him to the swing on her balcony. She ran into her room and grabbed a blanket and then returned to the swing. She sat down, and threw the blanket over the two of them. In what seemed to be an almost automatic motion, Troy put his arms around her shoulder and pulled her flush against him, and she placed her head onto his shoulder. After sitting in silence together for a while, Gabi finally spoke up.

"So why exactly did you decided to climb up onto my balcony at 11:30? I could have been sleeping or something." She looked up at him in time to see his cheeks flush.

"I don't know, I was worried about you, so I was going to check on you on the way home, but I had to give Zeke a ride home, and then me told me that he had baked some cookies the night before, and invited me in. We stayed at his place for a while, talking and just hanging out, before I finally looked at my watch and realized I was going to be late for dinner. After dinner, I went up to my room to do my homework, so this was really the first opportunity that I had to come and check on you."

"Well thank you, that was really sweet of you Troy. I really appreciate it. Well, everything really," said Gabriella.

"It was nothing, really. My pleasure."

"I'm really glad that I met you, and that we because friends Troy. I really am." She snuggled closer into his arms.

'_Yeah, friends',_ each teen thought, as they looked up at the stars.

**With Troy:**

Even though he know that Gabriella doesn't have feelings for him, her comment was a stab to the heart. He let his fingers run through her hair as he relished the feeling of having her in his arms. He was so confused by their relationship. They acted like a couple, and Zeke had mentioned earlier today that Troy seemed like a new person and they both knew that it was because of the girl that was currently wrapped up on his arms. He had never felt this way about anyone before, and it scared him. His thoughts floated back to an earlier conversation with Ryan.

_Ryan walked over, and sat down next to him. "You're falling for her, aren't you?" he asked with a smile._

_Troy looked over at the blonde sitting next to him. "Is it as crazy as I think it is?"_

Yes, it was crazy, but Troy was falling for his costar. He loved everything about her. Whenever he saw her, he smiled uncontrollably. He found himself wondering where she was when he wasn't with her. The first thoughts that filtered through his mind were of her, and he was preoccupied with her feelings whenever he heard a new rumor, or sensed that something was off with his female friend. He knew that he had fallen, and that he had fallen hard, but he didn't know what to do about it.

Troy looked down at the face of the girl in his arms, and he smiled when he saw her closed eyes and even breaths. Gently he picked her up in his arms, and carried her towards the door, which was slightly open from when Gabriella had brought out the blanket. He nudged it open with his toe, and walked over to place Gabriella on the bed. He noted the ruffled sheets, and was filled with sorrow when he realized just how much this fight with Taylor was tearing her apart. He brought the blankets up and tucked them around her, and smiled when she snuggled into them. Quickly, he went back outside to grab the blanket so that it wouldn't get wet. Luckily the rain had subsided early, and it had been dry, though very cold, so nothing was too wet. He folded the blanket and carefully placed it at the end of the bed, before walking over to Gabriella, and tucking a loose curl behind her ear.

"Good night Ella, sleep tight." He leant down and kissed her forehead before closing the balcony door behind him and climbing down the tree.

* * *

Yay! Chapter 5 is done! Please review and let me know what you think!


	6. Chapter 6: Something to Talk About

**Author's Note:** I was really inspired, so I wrote up Chapter 6 right after I posted Chapter 5. I told myself that I wouldn't post it until Chapter 7 was done, but inspiration has semi-left me again, so I'm posting this now in hopes that all of your lovely reviews will inspire me. This chapter is dedicated to** leoshunny1985**, for her review. It makes me sad, however, that only 1 person reviewed chapter 5. _T__he song is "Something to Talk About" by Bonnie Raitt._ Anyway, I am pretty proud of this chapter so please enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing!

* * *

**Caught in the Act**

_Chapter 6: Something To Talk About_

* * *

**With Sharpay:**

Sharpay, Ryan, and Kelsi sat at their usual table in the East High cafeteria. From their seat on the balcony, they were able to watch their peers. Many people thought that Sharpay was a conniving, over dramatic, spoiled princess, who always got what she wanted, but this wasn't entirely true. Sure, she was very dramatic, and her parents had more money than they knew what to do with, but she wasn't conniving. She was simply observant. All of them were. Part of the theatre was taking and learning from experience. She often felt that lunch was the most revealing time of the day, because this was when true colors were both hidden and shown. There were the people that were very careful and meticulous in their actions. Her eyes flicked to the table of "followers" as they were labeled. They fell into this category because everything they did was to elevate their social status. Sharpay felt the most sorry for these people because they didn't realize that the only thing that they needed was to be themselves. She was disheartened to see that one of her fellow cast members was sitting at this table, though she felt better when she noticed him looking around in boredom.

"Hey, do you guys mind if I bring Trevor up to sit with us? He's sitting at the followers table and looks immensely aggravated and bored." Ryan shrugged and Kelsi nodded her consent, so when Trevor looked up at the "drama lair" as it was labeled, she waved to him and beckoned him up. He looked at her in curiosity before he understood what she was trying to say. She smiled when he picked up his tray and headed towards the stairs. She then when looking for the rest of the cast, and one by one she beckoned them up to the drama clubs area.

"Hey Sharpay, did you need something?" asked Jennifer, who was in the ensemble.

Sharpay shook her head. "Not at all. I'm not that cruel, I won't make you work during your lunch."

"Yet," added Kelsi, making the group laugh.

Ryan spoke up, "we all wanted to extend an offer to you all, telling you that you can sit here whenever you want. Consider this your formal invitation."

Kelsi elbowed him, "you sound like such a pompous ass."

With smiles and confusion on their faces, the cast all pulled chairs up to the table and spent the lunch discussing the show, school, and anything else that came to mind.

While no one said anything, everyone was silently wondering where Troy and Gabriella were.

**With Troy:**

She wasn't in the cafeteria again today, and Troy was getting worried. Ever since her fight with Taylor, Gabriella had been stressed and her temper short. Troy and the rest of the cast were worried that she would break at any moment. Because of this, Troy was immediately nervous when he noted her absence at lunch again. After making a quick apologetic gesture to Zeke and Jason, he walked out of the cafeteria, and headed towards the roof top garden.

Unfortunately, he was stopped by Chad. Troy sighed in resignation. He couldn't avoid Chad forever. Practices had been tight and awkward due to the lack of communication between the captain and assistant. Chad had taken to repeating their pep chant every change he got, pointedly staring at Troy whenever they said "get your head in the game," and Troy was sick of it.

"Tell me it isn't true man," demanded Chad, stopping in front of Troy, blocking his path.

"What isn't true, Chad?" asked Troy, with an eye roll.

"That you're dating Gabriella Montez," replied Chad with a shudder.

Troy wanted to punch him, but refrained.

"It's not true Chad." Chad looked at Troy skeptically. "I've been spending a lot of time with her during school and after because Mrs. Darbus had us working our asses off."

"Stop using Darbus as an excuse Bolton! I see the way you look at her, it's obvious you have feelings for her!"

"Mrs. Darbus? You have to be kidding me, Danforth," cut in Troy, annoyance written across his face.

"No, Gabriella! Look man, settling down will ruin your reputation. You are the most wanted guy on campus, second only to me."

Troy snorted at his friend's arrogance.

Chad continued on as if he hadn't noticed, which Troy acknowledged, he probably hadn't "If people found out that you were off the market because you were dating someone, like seriously dating them, then I don't even know what would happen. And the fact that she is a nerd makes it a bazillion times worse."

Troy just stared at his friend as he went on and on about the status quo. He couldn't understand why Chad was clinging to it so much. He was latterly shaken out of his memory as Chad grabbed his shoulder and shook him, staring him straight in the eye, Chad continued forcefully speaking. "Look. You are Troy Bolton. You are the captain of the varsity basketball team. As a junior. You were starting varsity as a sophomore, and on came onto the team as a freshman. Most guys at this school would kill to be in your position, and you're going to throw it all away for some girl? I don't care how hot she is, she's a nerd and a geek. If you date anyone, it should be a cheerleader. Jocks mix with the cheerleaders, and together we rule the school. In other words, you rule the school."

Troy looked at him skeptically. "I don't follow."

Chad laughed and clapped him on the shoulder. "It's easy. Like that property in math that we learned freshman year? Where if one thing equals another than on think must equal something…" He trailed off in confusion.

Troy looked at him, confusion written across his face. "You mean the transitive property? Where if a=b and b=c then a=c? Seriously? You are relating my popularity to a _mathematical theory_?"

"I dunno, I think that's it. I don't remember geometry." Chad had a vacant look on his face,

"Man, we learned that in algebra 1, hell I think we learned that in pre-algebra…"

Chad cut him off, "it doesn't matter man. What matters is that you understand what I am trying to say. You have to think about what you're doing. Why didn't you drop out of the class?"

Troy rounded on his friend. "Because I didn't want to. Because I like the show. Because I liked and do like the rest of my cast. Because I _can_. You don't get it do you? There is so much more at stake here than my or our, or your reputation. Things need to change around here Chad, and if you aren't willing to embrace it, then you have hard times ahead of you." With that, he brushed past his friend and continued toward the rooftop garden, now set on finding Gabriella.

"Wait man," yelled Chad, but Troy ignored him.

He walked through the hallways, his thoughts pouring over the conversation that he just had with his best friend. Absently, he opened the door and walked up the stairs to the garden, and was abruptly brought back to reality as he saw Gabriella curled up on the bench. Her eyes were bloodshot, and she was staring vacantly ahead. He dropped his stuff and hurried over to, sitting down and pulling her into his lap. She turned to look at him, and the lost look in her eyes nearly tore him apart.

"What's wrong Ella?" Troy whispered, running his finger down the side of her face. She closed her eyes tightly for a moment.

When she finally spoke, her voice was so small and quiet that Troy had to lean closer to hear her. "They are saying and doing horrible things, Troy. In class, people will turn and stare at me, and then when I look at them they will glare and then turn away. I heard one of the cheerleaders saying that the only reason you were hanging out with me was because you were trying to get me in bed. Then one of her friends said that it probably wasn't that hard for you, because I would willingly give myself to you, because I was that desperate. They laughed, and joke that I thought you were in love with me, or something. I was in the bathroom, and two freshman girls were talking about how I was "so lucky" to be dating you, and that I "didn't deserve" you because I was an "ugly nerd."

Troy inwardly chuckled at her use of finger quotation notes, before looking her in the eye.

"You are not an ugly nerd. You are a beautiful, smart, talented girl–woman­­–girlwoman," They both laughed. "Now there's the laugh and smile that I love. Ella, don't listen to what they have to say, they don't know anything. Like I said the other night, they are just jealous and scared. As for the rumors, there isn't really anything that I can do about them. Unfortunately, you just have to wait them out. Eventually they will tire of us, and will find someone else to bother. But you can't let them get to you, because that just eggs them on.

"I know but I just can't help it. They hurt so much. I've always been so shy, I was always under everyone's radar, but all of a sudden, its like I am all they care about."

Troy tightened his hold on her, before pulling away to meet her eyes again.

"Hey, what happened to the strong minded girl who stood up to me, who made fun of my fan girls? I miss her."

Gabriella sat up, and walked towards the railing, and looked out at the mountains in the distance. "I don't know who she is Troy. She came out of nowhere, that's not who I am. I'm not sarcastic, or flirtatious. I'm the shy and studious categorized nerd who spends her lunch in the library and her afternoons at Scholastic Decathlon meetings."

Troy came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her, gently nuzzling her behind her ear.

"She's still here, Ella. I can see her when you are onstage, or when you are joking around with Kels and Shar. She's strong, Gabriella, but she and you can't deal with all this stress right now. You need to relax, take a break."

Gabriella shook her head.

"Look at me," he demanded, turning her around in his arms. "Close your eyes." She reluctantly agreed. "Now, take a deep breath."

She opened her eyes and looked up at him doubtfully.

"Just do it, Min." She begrudgingly smiled, and then followed his command. "Now hold it for five seconds. 1…2…3…4…5. Okay good, now let it out slowly."

She did so. Then opened her eyes, slowly. She looked dazed, tired, confused, and utterly kissable, and it took Troy all of his resolve to stop himself from kissing her right there. He knew that it would add unwanted confusion and stress to her life, so he refrained. Instead he pulled her into a hug, and they stood there in silence until Troy looked at his watch to see that they had 7 minutes until class started. He pulled away, only to laugh when she snuggled back in.

"Min, Ella, we only have 7 minutes until class starts, and I still have to get my books. We need to go." She shook her head against his chest. "I know, I don't want to leave either, but we have to."

She sighed heavily, and he couldn't agree more. They reluctantly let go of each other, and went to pick up their stuff. They parted ways when they exited, but not before Troy squeezed her hand and smiled at her encouragingly.

As he walked towards his locker, Troy took his phone and sent a text Sharpay.

_I'm worried about Gabi, she's not doing very well…_

He put the phone back in his pocket and walked down the hallway towards his class, before felling the phone vibrate against his leg. He reached in and picked it up, flipping it open to read his text.

_I know, me too. We all are. Don't worry, I have an idea, just make sure she comes to rehearsal today._

Troy smiled. Trust Sharpay to have a solution. Feeling more confident, he closed the phone and walked off to class, a new-found excitement in his step.

**With Sharpay:**

Sharpay slipped her phone back into her purse, before walking into her next class. She spotted Zeke sitting alone at a table, and walked over to him.

"Is anyone sitting here?" she asked. He looked flustered for a moment before replying and she took a seat next to him.

"You're Zeke, right?" He nodded. "Troy talks about you all the time. I tried one of your cookies the other day. They were amazing."

"Well, thank you," replied Zeke, confusion written all over his face.

She giggled. He was cute.

As she left the class, she decided that had been the most enjoyable English class she had ever had, and found herself looking forward to seeing Zeke again.

As she walked towards the theatre, she ran into Kelsi, who gave her an appraising look before shrugging it off.

Sharpay turned to Kelsi.

"I have to talk to Mrs. Darbus. It's about Gabi. Have you noticed anything off about her lately?"

Kelsi nodded. "Yeah, I'm worried about her. This is the third lunch in a row that she wasn't in the cafeteria. Did you see Troy's face when he saw that she wasn't there." They both laughed softly at the memory. "That boy has it bad."

Sharpay nodded in agreement. "So does she. Anyway, I'm going to talk to Mrs. Darbus about having a relaxation rehearsal today. If she says yes, I need you to play a song for me. Well, not for me, per say, its actually for Gabi and Troy, but you know what I mean." Kelsi agreed, knowing it was better not to question Sharpay when she was in plot mode.

**With Troy:**

Troy wasn't surprised when he came into the theatre and found people in various groups. Some were running lines, some were going over dance steps, but Troy quickly found Sharpay, Kelsi, and Ryan by the piano. He dropped his stuff on a seat and walked over to them.

"Hey guys," he greeted, leaning against the piano. They all returned the greeting with various salutations of their own. Troy caught Sharpay's eye, and she nodded in acknowledgement.

"Everything is ready, just make sure that you know this song," said Sharpay, tossing Troy her iPhone.

He was listening to the song for what must have been the seventh or eighth time when Gabriella walked in the theatre, and instead of heading up to the stage to see her friends, she plopped down in a chair in slowly pulled out her script. Troy could tell that Gabriella would love be anywhere but rehearsal at that moment, especially given that she seemed to be talking to herself. Gesturing towards Gabriella to the others, he returned the iPhone to Sharpay, hopped off the stage and knelt in front of her.

"You know, talking to yourself is a sign on insanity," joked Troy. She was startled out of her reverie, and Troy laughed at her reaction. She put her head down and blushed, hiding behind her hair. He reached up and tucked the hair that fallen behind her ear.

"I thought we talked about this Minnie. You need to relax."

She shook her head. "I can't. I have so much work to do, plus I have decathlon practice after rehearsal, and as your team says, my head is not in the game."

"Hey, hey, don't think about that okay? Just focus on the here and the now. And right now, you are at rehearsal for Twinkle Towne, the weird musical about hope, and love, and whatever else Mrs. Darbus said the day of the first read through. And of course, Greg, the lovely camel with sunglasses." Gabriella sniffled as her lips curled into a smile. "Here, I have an idea. While we wait for Mrs. Darbus to get here, I'll give you a neck massage."

Gabriella looked at him suspiciously, and he just laughed, picking her up, and switching places with her. Though she seemed reluctant at first, Troy could tell that this is what she needed, especially as she let out a contented sigh. The rest of the cast looked at them, smiled adorning their faces as Mrs. Darbus came into the theatre. If she noticed, she didn't say anything about it.

"Alright lovely thespians, today I thought we would take a break from rehearsals to unwind. And I think that Mr. Bolton and Ms. Montez have already chosen our first activity," Troy and Gabriella looked up, blushing, but she continued on, "I want everyone to get into a circle and we will all give each other neck massages."

Everyone sent furtive glances at each other, silently asking each other why their director was so weird, but they obliged.

**With Kelsi:**

After their weird massage session, the cast all say around the piano, singing songs from the current show, from past shows, and anything thing that came to mind. If she didn't know how to play it, then one of the other cast members who could play the piano would come forward, volunteering their talents. It was a wonderful moment. No cast had never felt as close as they did that day. They had just finished singing "For Now" from Avenue Q when Sharpay caught Kelsi's eyes, and she started playing the song. They both smiled happily at each other when Gabriella started to sing, just as we had hope that she would.

_**Something to Talk About**_

**(Gabriella)**

_People are talkin', talkin' 'bout people_

_I hear them whisper, you won't believe it_

_They think we're lovers kept under covers_

_I just ignore it, but they keep saying_

Gabriella looked up, and Sharpay took her cue.

**(Sharpay)**

_We laugh just a little too loud_

**(Cast)**

_A little too loud_

Kelsi followed.

**(Kelsi)**

_We stand just a little too close_

**(Cast)**

_A little too close_

Then Ryan made eye contact with her, and took his own cue.

**(Ryan)**

_We stare just a little too long_

**(Cast)**

_A little too long_

Gabriella smiled, which was exactly what they were hoping for.

**(Gabriella)**

_Maybe they're seeing, something we don't, Darlin'_

_Let's give them something to talk about_

_Let's give them something to talk about_

_Let's give them something to talk about_

_How about love?_

Troy looked at Sharpay, and took his own cue.

**(Troy)**

_I feel so foolish, I never noticed_

_You'd act so nervous, could you be falling for me?_

They had one of their adorable, private moments, and then they sang together. Kelsi looked at the rest of the cast, who now had smiles on their faces.

**(Together)**

_It took a rumor to make me wonder_

_Now I'm convinced I'm going under_

The cast all breathed a sigh of relief as their two stars relaxed, and sang with the passion that they all noted when they originally sang together.

**(Troy)**

_Thinking 'bout you every day_

**(Gabriella)**

_Dreaming 'bout you every night_

**(Troy)**

_Hoping that you feel the same way_

_Now that we know it, let's really show it, Darlin'_

**(Together)**

_Maybe they're seeing, something we don't, Darlin'_

_Let's give them something to talk about_

_Let's give them something to talk about_

_Let's give them something to talk about_

_How about love?_

After a cue from Sharpay, the whole cast joined in, and were all happy when Gabriella's face broke out into a huge smile, and she started dancing around the piano. They all followed her lead.

**(All Cast)**

_Let's give them something to talk about_

_A little mystery to figure out_

_Let's give them something to talk about_

_How about love, love, love, love?_

_Let's give them something to talk about_

_Let's give them something to talk about_

_Let's give them something to talk about_

_How about love, love, love, love?_

Sharpay nudged Ryan, and inclined her head towards Troy and Gabriella, who were once again lost in their own world. The rest of the cast faded out, but the two stars continue to sing as Kelsi played, they voices carrying hope throughout the theatre.

**(Troy and Gabriella)**

_Maybe they're seeing, something we don't, Darlin'_

_Let's give them something to talk about_

_Let's give them something to talk about_

_Let's give them something to talk about_

_How about love?_

Kelsi finished the piece, and then everyone started laughing and cheering. Mrs. Darbus smiled and winked at Troy and he nodded thanks. It had indeed been a very successful rehearsal.

* * *

There you have it, Chapter 6! Please review! I always respond and usually give previews of the next chapter!


	7. Chapter 7: Never Gonna Be Alone

**Author's Note: **I have nothing to say except that I am so sorry that this took me so long to get out. I've been working on this for an entire quarter. I just have been so overworked, and I have finals this up coming week, and I was super stressed, so I decided to finish this. I'm not really all that happy with it, but I guess plot wise it's kind of important. I don't know though. Anyway, the song is "_Never Gonna Be Alone"_ by Nickelback. Please read and review!

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing.

* * *

**Caught in the Act**

_Chapter 7: Never Gonna Be Alone_

**With Sharpay**:

The entire cast seemed much more relaxed after the rehearsal the other day. However, the most obvious change was in Gabriella, who was much more like the bubbly girl they considered her to be.

During rehearsals she would sing with a renewed vigor. Her dedication was inspiring the whole cast, all of whom had rediscovered their passion for the show. Everyone was captivated when she performed, as she radiated empathy and understanding. If she was not on stage or running lines back stage, she was helping a fellow cast member with their own lines or dances.

To most it seemed that she was coming out of her slump, but to those close to her, there was a mutual understanding that something much deeper was happening to their sweet and dynamic friend. Sharpay, Kelsi, and Ryan were excited, because they all saw her becoming the girl that they knew she truly was. However, Sharpay could tell that something was still upsetting the girl who was quickly becoming one of her best friends. Both she and Troy often caught Gabriella staring vacantly into space, at which point they would share concerned glances before one of them went over to check in with her. Sharpay had a feeling Troy knew what the issue was, but had never broached the subject with him, reasoning that if it she needed to know, he would tell her.

However, this did not stop her from wanting to help her friend get better and be happier, though she was struggling to find a way to do so.

As she sat in English class, writing notes back in forth with Zeke in their notebooks, she came up with an idea, and quickly scribbled a note to Zeke.

_Are you free on Saturday night?_

He stared at the note for a moment, before writing a quick note back.

_I think so, why?_

She smiled, hoping that everything would come together.

_Nothing, just keep it open, I'll text you with the details later._

She leaned back in her chair, suddenly feeling very accomplished. As a plan formed itself in her mind, she returned her attention to her English teacher, absentmindedly taking notes.

As soon as the bell rang, she packed up her stuff, and went in search of this year's male lead. She reasoned that he would full heartedly agree with her idea, since she could tell he would do anything and everything to make sure that Gabriella was happy again, but she wanted to make sure that she was not over stepping any boundaries.

And yes, Sharpay did understand the meaning of boundaries. She just mostly disregarded them.

She founded him leaving his math class, on the way to the gym, presumably to play some basketball. Sharpay knew that Troy had been splitting him time between the show, homework, worrying about Gabi, and basketball, and that it was starting to take at toll on the young star. Though he would never admit it for fear of worrying Gabriella, Troy's game was suffering due to rehearsals, and the team was suffering because of it. It was not that the team was dependent on him, as the school seemed to think. Each member of the team was an amazing player in their own right, and each of them brought their own personal tastes and talents to the game. The Wildcats were a well-oiled machine, everyone knowing the other's weaknesses, and each trying to compensate for these, as well as better themselves as players.

From her spot by the door, Sharpay watched Troy throw some free-throws, apparently effortlessly dropping them into the basket. But he was tense, and his shots were ever so slightly off.

She was shaken out of her reverie by a presence behind her. She turned around to see the tall form of Zeke standing behind her. He looked at her questioningly, and she felt the color rise in her cheeks be for she gestured to Troy with her head.

"I wanted to talk to him about Saturday."

A smile spread across Zeke's face. "Am I right in assuming this has something to do with Gabriella?" he asked her, a knowingly look in his eye.

"Maybe…" Sharpay replied evasively.

**With Zeke:**

Realizing that he was not going to be getting any more information from the blonde, he nodded, before walking towards the door.

"I'd love to stay and talk, but Chad called for an lunch time practice, so I better get going. I don't really want him angry with me, as he's taken to calling this an "emergency" practice, as supposed to the relaxed warm-up it ought to be."

With a smile she moved out of the way, and he entered the gym.

"Hey man, how's it going?" called Troy, carelessly throwing a basket before approaching Zeke, the ball sailing through the net before bouncing and rolling away.

They greeted each other before he responding, "I'm alright man, what about you?"

Troy shrugged, "Honestly, stressed, but did I just see you chatting up Shar outside the gym? You better be careful, if Chad sees you he'll have a cow."

Zeke shrugged. "I was just wondering why she was staring at you." Troy looked up on surprise as Zeke laughed before continuing on. "She needed to talk to you about something. She said something about keeping Saturday open in English class today, so I'm assuming it's related to that."

"You sure that wasn't her way of asking you out," replied Troy, with a light punch to the arm. The two teens shared a look before bursting into laughter. The day Sharpay asked a guy out would be the day the earth froze over. They sombered up as they saw Troy's father walking towards them.

"Hey coach," the team chorus together, causing Troy and Zeke to realize that the rest of the team had entered during their conversation. Both of them quickly noticed a distinct divide amongst the team members. Coach Bolton stood in the middle, with Troy, Zeke, and Jason, who had appeared seemingly out of nowhere, on his left, and Chad and the rest of the team on his right.

"Alright, Chad called this practice so I'm going to let him lead, and will step in when needed. So Chad, why don't you come up here and begin."

Chad came forward before turning to the team.

"Alright we have a game against St. Steven's this Friday, and we are not ready." He spoke with authority, keeping his eyes trained on Troy the whole time. "We are going to start with 15 suicides, so everyone line up."

The team groaned, and the three guys shared a look, disappointed in their friend's attitude. They all made their way to back line.

"Ready, one… two…" called Chad from the half court line.

"Woah, hold up man, you gotta be running these too," said Troy, straightening up.

"I don't need to run these, Bolton. Unlike you, I haven't been prancing around on stage in a leotard instead of focusing on the game. In fact, wildcats, you all can come here except for Bolton. He's been the one skimping out, he should be the one to face the music, so to speak." There was a murmur of agreement from the team, and they walked over to Chad.

A look of furry crossed Zeke's face before he spoke up "Chad, man, you're being unreasonable."

"I didn't say you had to run them too Zeke. You haven't been ditching out on practices."

"But Troy hasn't missed any practices," said Jason, confusion clouding his eyes. "Why are we punishing him?"

"Because our team leader over here fails to realize and understand the true meaning of teamwork." All head's turned to the speaker as Coach Bolton stood from the sidelines and walked onto the court. The team was nodding in agreement, while Zeke, Jason, and Troy were looking at each other in surprise.

"What Chad does not see is how dedicated Troy is to the team." Now it was the rest of the teams turn to be surprised.

"Yes, Troy is my son, but I can't remember ever seeing him work as hard as he is now. You may think that being in the musical is nothing more than skipping around a stage in a leotard, but if the weekend rehearsals in our living room are any indication, then your version is entirely off. In fact, I bet none of you know much about the everyday lives of your fellow team members. For example, Williams, tell me something unique about Cross."

Clark Williams looked at his team member, begging for a hint before shrugging. "He can hold his liquor?" Clark replied, though it was more of a question than an answer.

Coach Bolton rolled his eyes. "I'm going to pretend like I didn't hear that. Danforth. Tell me something about Baylor."

Chad rolled his eyes. "That's easy. He has the hots for Sharpay Evens, though I have no idea why he'd be interested in that drama freak."

Jason had to reach out and hold Zeke back. Coach Bolton looked furious and was about to yell at Chad when Troy spoke up.

"Zeke is an amazing baker. He made all of those cookies that you thought were his mother's. Jason plays a mean guitar and bass, and once considered joining a band. Look, we may all have different outside interests, but we are all here today because we come together to play a game that we all love. That is why we are a team. But if this is what teamwork has turned into, then I'm not sure I want to be part of it. I'm not going to quit, because basketball is really important to me, as is the future of this team, but for the first time in three years, I feel like we aren't the team we could be, and that is what's hurting us. Not the fact that I am in the musical. So I ask you: What team?"

Everyone was silent for a moment, taking everything in.

"Wildcats!" replied Zeke, Jason, and Coach Bolton.

The rest of the team looked to Chad, who stared daggers at Troy. "Wildcats?" Chad yelled out.

The rest of the team picked up the cue.

"Get your head in the game!" they yelled together, before walking out of the gym as a group, not looking back.

The four remaining men looked at each other helplessly.

Troy spoke up. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize that by being in the musical, I would cause this much trouble for the team."

Jason looked at him in confusion. "It's not your fault Troy. Chad is just being stupid."

Zeke nodded. "Jason's right, this is all them and their stubborn need to stick to the status quo. I say lets keep this practice going, and we'll deal with the rest of the team when they are ready to, ah, face the music. Pun intended."

Troy smiled in gratitude before the four men went onto the court for a short pick-up game of two on two.

**With Troy**

After showering up after their pick-up game, Troy walked towards his next class. Today he had a double period of drama, which meant another two hours of grueling rehearsal. While he was looking forward to seeing Gabriella and all the rest of his friends, he knew that what he really needed was a long nap. No matter how much he tried to deny it, and put forward a happy face, all of this work and time was having a definite affect on his personal and mental health. While he was not showing signs of stress the way Gabriella was, it was definitely there. He felt like he had to be strong for Gabriella, but he also knew himself well enough to know that he was getting to his breaking point.

Troy walked into the cafeteria and bought two chocolate muffins stuck them in the microwave for himself and Gabriella, and walked towards the theatre for class. With a sigh, he pushed the theatre doors open with his shoulder, and looked around the theatre for his costar. He smiled as he found her, and then he walked towards their seats in the back of the theatre. He often found her sitting back here when she was stressed, and he knew that his gift would be greatly appreciated.

"You like heated chocolate muffins too?" Troy asked his sullen costar as he placed the plate with the warm muffins on her lap. Gabriella smiled up at him.

"Of course! You do too?"

They smiled at each other, and spoke simultaneously "People think I'm so weird!"

"That's because you are!" yelled out Sharpay as she entered the theatre. The two teens rolled their eyes before turning to the young blonde.

"Seriously guys, I have no idea how on earth you eat those, and I'll eat just about anything" quipped Ryan.

Mrs. Darbus spoke up from the stage. "Alright, alright, quiet down. We all know Troy and Gabriella have unusual taste. Even though I've told them before that they should not eat chocolate before performing." She glared at them, mentally smirking at Gabriella's blush, and Troy's complete disregard as he took another bite. "We are going to run scene 6 of Act 2 today."

The cast got quiet. They had been waiting for this scene for a while, as it is the scene where Arnold and Minnie admit their feelings for each other, but Mrs. Darbus had been putting it off, because it was also a very emotional scene and she wanted Troy and Gabriella to have a good handle on their characters before they approached it.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Get on stage for warm up!"

**With Ryan:**

After warming up, Ryan grabbed his script before returning to the house, taking a seat in the first row. He was not in this scene and because he had already memorized all of his lines, he decided he was going to watch his friends perform.

"Alright," said Mr Darbus, "when we start this scene, Minnie is going to be hiding behind the dumpster up stage right where Arnold was first seen with her notebook, so Ms Montez, if you would take your place." Gabriella walked towards the dumpster and sat down, leaning against it. "Now Troy, you are off stage, but you are going to enter through the down stage left. Make sure that you come off as very harried and worried, so that the audience knows just bad this situation is."

Ryan was momentarily inspired. "Um, Ms Darbus?" She turned towards him. "I was thinking, it might be kind of nice if Arnold comes through the house, because I feel like the audience will feel like they are coming on this journey with him." Ms Darbus smiled at him.

"Yes, Yes, I quite like that Mr. Evans. Mr. Bolton, you will be entering from the house, and coming the stage left stairs to get to Gabriella. I want you at the top of the stairs watching Ms Montez about four beats before Ms. Montez starts crying." Ryan watched as Troy shifted uncomfortably at that thought before heading to the back of the theatre.

"From the top!" Yelled out Mrs Darbus, and Gabriella began.

What Ryan loved about Gabriella's performance was her ability to completely absorb herself into her character. When she was Minnie, she was not Gabriella any more, and she was entirely believable. While he did not know the details, he knew that this story hit very close to home for Gabi, and it showed in her performance.

He watched as the young actor curled up into a ball against the dumpster. She paused for a moment, seemingly gathering her thoughts before starting to sob softly. Ryan smiled. Gabriella was such a different type of actor then his twin sister. Gabriella was very quiet and reserved during emotional scenes, while Sharpay was loud and in your face. He did not have a specific preference between the two, but was happy that Gabriella was stepping out of her shell.

Gabriella looked around in confusion. She hugged her legs to her chest, starting then stopping. She glanced at her script, and tried to begin, before stepping out of her character.

"I'm sorry Mr. Darbus, but I can't say these lines. Minnie would not act like this in this situation. She writes when she's upset, but she doesn't have her journal. However, she would not speak her problems out. She is far too withdrawn for that. Perhaps Arnold could come in, and she could rant to him? She wouldn't have this conversation with herself though."

"But Ms Montez, this soliloquy is an integral part of the show. Minnie comes out of her shell."

"But she wouldn't. If anything, she would withdraw herself more. Why else would she have run away?"

Ms. Darbus was contemplative for a moment, before slowly nodding in agreement. "Mr. Bolton, you will come on before she speaks. We are cutting this monologue. I will rewrite the dialogue, so in the mean time, let us practice from the beginning of the song."

Troy nodded, and walked on stage, taking Gabriella's hand and bringing her to center stage. They nodded at Kelsi and began to sing.

(**Troy**)

_Time, is going by, so much faster than I,_

_And I'm starting to regret not spending all of here with you._

(**Gabriella**)

_Now I'm, wondering why, I've kept this bottled inside,_

_So I'm starting to regret not selling all of it to you._

(**Together**)

_So if I haven't yet, I've gotta let you know..._

_Never gonna be alone!_

_From this moment on, if you ever feel like letting go,_

_I won't you fall..._

_Never gonna be alone!_

_I'll hold you 'til the hurt is gone._

(**Gabriella**)

_And now, as long as I can, I'm holding on with both hands,_

_'Coz forever I believe that there's nothing I could need but you,_

_So if I haven't yet, I've gotta let you know..._

(**Together**)

_Never gonna be alone!_

_From this moment on, if you ever feel like letting go,_

_I won't let you fall._

_When all hope is gone, I know that you can carry on._

_We're gonna see the world out,_

_I'll hold you 'til the hurt is gone._

(**Troy**)

_Ooooh!_

_You've gotta live every single day,_

_Like it's the only one, what if tomorrow never comes?_

(**Gabriella**)

_Don't let it slip away,_

_Could be our only one, you know it's only just begun._

(**Together**)

_Every single day,_

_Maybe our only one, what if tomorrow never comes?_

_Tomorrow never comes..._

_Time, is going by, so much faster than I,_

_And I'm starting to regret not telling all of this to you._

_So if I haven't yet, I've gotta let you know..._

_Never gonna be alone!_

_From this moment on, if you ever feel like letting go,_

_I won't let you fall._

_When all hope is gone, I know that you can carry on._

_We're gonna see the world out,_

_I'll hold you 'til the hurt is gone._

(**Troy**)

_I'm gonna be there always,_

_I won't be missing a word all day,_

(**Gabriella)**

_I'm gonna be there always,_

_I won't be missing a word all day._

Troy and Gabriella leant into each other, each closing their eyes, about to kiss each other, when Sharpay ran on stage, with a dramatic cry of "Minnie! You're alive!" before Mrs. Darbus clapped, signaling the end of the scene.

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Please review and let me know what you think!


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